Marseille. What can I say?

As I sit on the train waiting to pull away from our first destination in the South of France, the time seems right to share my impressions. There were aspects of Marseille which were as expected and others which came as a complete surprise. As I had imagined, the city was “gritty” in that same authentic way as Napoli. Buildings and random walls were covered in graffiti with tags and scenes depicted on surfaces everywhere. 

I hadn’t anticipated, however, how prevalent other aspects of Napoli would be represented, most specifically with the pizza. It’s everywhere and I had pizza for dinner 2 of our 3 nights. On the first occasion, I opted for Marseille style with half being margarita and the other half topped with anchovies. It was good, but not particularly memorable. On our last night, however, I had what was arguably the best pizza of my life. The crust was perfectly charred and the toppings of tuna, red onion, olives and halved grape tomatoes was absolutely fantastic.

As I sit here 16 hours later, I’m still thinking about the pieces I left behind as I was too full to eat another bite.

Our first night’s dinner of bouillabaisse was an indulgence in terms of cost and, while I appreciate the dish as traditional, it wasn’t my favorite meal. The fish was perfect,  but the setting, with a brightly lit dining room sans music, just wasn’t my vibe. I also enjoy vegetables and the thick slices of potato, cooked in the broth, were not particularly satisfying. The price of that meal, with a very nice bottle of wine, was roughly equal to our entire food expenditures over two days. 

I think maybe I’m just a cheap date.

Food aside, Marseille was vibrant, but not chaotic like Napoli. There wasn’t a single moment when I was concerned about being run over (while in a pedestrian zone) by a motorcycle or scooter as I wandered the streets. While I’m certain we didn’t scratch the surface of France’s second largest city, we did come to be familiar with the area near the Old Port. The colorful streets (with unexpected hills) invited walking and we covered miles each day.

Lasting impressions? The population was beautifully diverse with no obvious tensions or divisions. The city felt integrated and the storefronts and restaurants reflected many cultures and cuisines. The ambient noise on the streets was primarily from construction and maintenance workers. Wrought ironwork on windows and balconies was everywhere. Already narrow sidewalks and passages were further narrowed by containers in every shape and size of filled with plants and flowers lining their sides.

The weather forecast had been dismal with rain predicted for every day of our stay. We watched as the skies changed in an instant from clouds to sun to delicate rainfall, but other than an evening of showers while we were out for dinner, we avoided getting caught in the rain. And on that particular night, we delayed our walk “home” by ducking into a funky wine bar for a night cap. After which point, the rain didn’t seem much of deterrent.

One additional impression was that residents of Marseille are friendly people who display great pride in their city. I absolutely loved greeting strangers with a smile and a bon jour, which were always reciprocated. We enjoyed the city very much and would happily return there in the future, but our next destination beckons.

Next stop: Nice.